Apparatus for fractioning mineral oils.



G. B. FORWARD.

APPARATUS FOR PRAGTIONING MINERAL OILS.

APPLICATION. FILED MAR.4, 1914.

1,100,966, Patented June 23, 1914.

MIA/EN TOR GHAUNCEY B. FORWARD, URBANA, OHIO.

APPARATUS FOR FRACTIONING MINERAL OILS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 23, 1914.

Application filed March 4, 1914. Serial No. 822,312.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHAUNoEY B. Fon- \VARD, citizen of the United States, residing at Urbana, in the county of Champaign and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Fractioning Mineral Oils, of which the fol lowing is a-specification.

The present invention represents an 1mprovement upon an apparatus for separating the asphalt base and the lighter constituents of crude petroleum from each other as set forth in my Patent 1,088,693, March 3, 1914, all as hereinafter described and fully pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a retort and a side elevation of a series of oil condensers therewith, and Fig. 2 is a plan View of the retort alone. Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation of that portion of the retort and condenser connections in which the present improvement more particularly lies. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of a two-unit condenser partially occupied with condenser or battle elements. Fig. 5 is a perspective of one of the bafile disks and Fig. 6 is a perspective of one of the bafiie and condensing elements used with the said disk.

The invention herein lies between the retort R and the first two of the series of condensers D, E, F, G, H and I, and the object is to enable the asphalt base in the oil to be taken oif either in a pure or unmixed state, as it comes from the retort, or more or less modified, thinned or liquefied by condensations from the initial condensing column D, according to the quality or character of the product desired.

In the operation of the patented apparatus the condensation is arbitrary and the asphalt base that comes over from the retort unvaporized and practically unvaporizable has the condensations from retort D unavoidably mixed therewith. This of course modifies the said base according to the quantity and quality of said condensations, and the added element is of a vaporizable character, necessarily, under sufficiently high temperature as originally. Now, I have improved the a paratus so as to take the asphalt base 0 pure and unadulterated if I want to, as herein shown and described. I have also discovered that it is very desirable to have an apparatus by which the asphalt product can be varied in quality or density to meet a wide range of commercial needs,

and these run all the way from a thoroughly charge a of the retort through the coupling 15 at the bottom of condenser D and thence directly across to the pipe 17 that comes from the top of the said condenser and discharges into the coupling 15 at the bottom of the next succeeding condenser E. All the products of the oil of whatever character discharge alike into the first coupling 15 from the retort through the first pipe section 33, as formerly, but in case I desire to have what may be termed a pure or unadulterated asphalt base, I cut out the condenser D from the further operation and carry the vapor products forward through the said pipe line connection 33 to the coupling 15 on condenser E. The elimination or deadening of condenser D is effected by means of two plug valves 34 and 35, respectively, While a through passage for the vapors directly from the retort to the condenser C is provided for by opening the valve or plug 36 in the pipe line 33, the said valves 34: and 35 serving to close all entrance to condenser D at both bottom and top and thus avoiding any contribution whatever therefrom to the asphalt base or liquid flowing into the vessel d from the retort. But this represents merely one phase of the present improvement. Suppose, for example, that I want a more limpid asphalt product than can be obtained by the use of a single section or unit 16 in condenser D and the usual complement of baflle plates 22 and 23 therein. In such case I add one or more sections or units 16 to column D according to the degree or measure of reduction or modification desired in the asphalt as such, and one or more sections can be built into said column as seen in dotted lines, Fig. 1, with the addition, also, of baflle plates as desired. Of course when this is done the valve 36 is closed and valves 34 and 35 opened, and then the condensations go forward through the series of condensing column D and E, as formerly.

It is to be understood as a matter of course that each and all of the several condenser columns following the column D may be enlarged or reduced or omitted or broken into two or more as planned in the original application above referred to or as the changes herein may require.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus as described having a retort and a series of condenser columns for the vaporized oil, means at the end of said retort to receive the unvaporized products directly therefrom and means to add more or less of the condensations from the first of said columns to said unvaporized oil products or to out such condensations entirely ofi' therefrom.

2. In an apparatus for fractionalizing mineral oils, a retort adapted to receive oil under pressure and to heat the same to 650 degrees Fahrenheit, more or less, means at the dis charge of said retort to draw off the unvaporized products means to carry the vapors forward through a series of condensing separators, and means to cut out the first of said separators and to carry the vapors forward to the next succeeding separator.

3. An apparatus as described having a retort and a vessel open to the discharge thereof to receive the asphalt base, a series of vapor condensers in open communication with said retort and the first of said series provided with means to open and close the same to the said vessel and thus control'the quality of the said asphalt base as to hardness.

4. An apparatus as described comprising a retort and a plurality of condenser colcondenser to the said pipe connections leading to the second condenser, and valves adapted to shut off the first of said condenser from said pipe connections and to open the second condenser thereto, and means to trap the asphalt base entering said connections from the retort.

5. The apparatus herein described comprising a retort and a plurality of condenser columns, a discharge connection for said retort open to said columns respectively and having a trap therewith for a liquid product and valves in said connections to open one of said columns to the flow from the retort and to close off the other columns.

6. An appartus as described comprising a retort and a plurality of condenser columns having couplings at their bottom open into said columns respectively and having dis-' charge openings in their bottom, a jointedpipe line connecting the retort with said couplings and 'valves arranged to divert vapor products flowing from the retort into or past the first of said condenser columns.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHAUNCEY B. FORWARD. Witnesses:

R. B. Mosnn, F. O. Harrow. 

